First North Carolina Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Chartered 21 April 1928 in Asheville, North Carolina, and later became the Blue Ridge Chapter.

Members of the Blue Ridge Chapter Color Guard were honored to present our nation’s “Colors” at a recent Naturalization Ceremony held in Asheville, North Carolina on September 23rd. The event was held in the Court of Chief Judge Martin Reidinger, who gave a very poignant message to all in attendance. It was the first Naturalization Ceremony since the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020. Thirteen new citizens from various other countries such as Turkey, Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, and Taiwan swore their oaths to the United States of America.

As the Session opened, the Color Guard paraded the Colors before those assembled and stood at attention during the Star-Spangles-Banner. Following the administration Oath of Citizenship, the Guard again presented the Colors during the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of God Bless America.

At the closing of the Court, the Color Guard paraded the Colors to the center of the courtroom to allow our newest citizens to pose for pictures. Several of the new citizens (and family members), as well as Court Officers, made their way to the center of the chambers to be photographed with descendants of America’s Patriot heroes.

The Color Guard consisted of Lance Dickinson, Craig Issacson, Garry Linton, and Tom Rightmyer. Bette Dickinson filled in for another Color Guard member who was unable to attend.

Listed below is the Oath of Citizenship

I,_________________, hereby declare on oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

It is easy to see that the Blue Ridge Chapter is an active, energetic busy chapter that is always looking for new members to help us reach our challenging goals for the recognition of the sacrifices our Patriots made for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.